Prey is a small, free application that collects and sends computer location data, which can help in case of theft or loss. The operation of the service is very similar to the laptop tracking technologies used by Lenovo, Fujitsu, Toshiba or Dell. The operation of Prey is very simple.

After installing the program, you must register on the server, where you can register your computers. If any of them disappears, they must be marked on the service page. If the machine is connected to the Internet, the program will "call home" and give you the location of your computer.

In addition, the program can provide a screenshot, a list of running programs, working time (uptime) and even a picture of a person using a computer, if the computer is equipped with a built-in camera. It is also possible to inform the person using a potentially stolen laptop about the possibility of finding it or activating an "alarm siren". The geolocation method introduced in this version of the program uses the Google Location API.

To determine your location, simply scan the visible Wi-Fi access points, and your computer does not need to log in to any of them. In addition, version 0.5 of the program for Linux improved cooperation with webcams to get better quality images. The great advantage of the application is its "lightness" on all platforms.

Prey was written in bash, so there are no dependencies and does not require any additional components on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X or Android. The only requirement of the program is Linux, where it should be run from the root account.